Traditional Authentic German Style Goulash

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German Style Goulash is a beloved comfort food throughout Europe and the Americas. It was first created in Germany, of course, and spread all over the Western Hemisphere from there. There are many variations on the dish, some of them so far from the original German style goulash that they barely compare. However, this one is truly the authentic, traditional, German style goulash.

German Style Goulash

(Photo Attributed to Author: GeoTrinity)

Authentic Traditional German Style Goulash Recipe-

Ingredients:
  • 2 large white or yellow onions, peeled and rough chopped
  • 2 large sweet green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped into 1″ chunks
  • 4 large sweet red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped into 1″ chunks
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
  • 3 tbsp. canola oil
  • 1/2 tbsp. fennel seeds
  • 6 oz. canned tomato paste
  • 16 oz. canned tomato puree
  • 1-1/2 cups beef broth (or if you like an even heartier flavor, use lamb broth)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

You will want to have: a Dutch Oven , which is the most ideal, and traditional cooking implement. If you don’t have one, and don’t want to spend the money right now on one, you could also use a very large, heavy bottomed cast iron skillet.

Directions:
  1. In a large sauté pan, over medium flame, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Add in the chopped onions and cook, stirring now and then, until golden, caramelized, and fully fragrant – about 8 to 10 minutes should do it.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, over medium high flame, heat the remaining 2-1/2 tablespoons canola oil.  Sauté the meat chunks until well browned all over.
  3. Next, add and stir in the garlic, caraway and fennel seeds, and the caramelized onions. Cook for about 1 minute, then add and stir in the onion powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, Montreal steak seasoning, and salt and pepper.
  4. Now add and stir in the chopped sweet bell peppers; cook, stirring now and then, until softened and fragrant – about 2 minutes should do it.
  5. Add the tomato paste and puree into the oven, and stir together well.
  6. Add and stir in about 1/2 cup of water and the broth. If you think it is a little too thick, add a little more water.
  7. Deglaze the Dutch oven, making certain you have loosened all the yummy, thick, slightly burnt stuff that has become stuck to the bottom of the pot.
  8. Now, reduce the heat to just a low, but lively simmer and continue to cook. Keep stirring now and then, until the meat is very tender. This last phase can take as much as an hour and a half – two hours will even be better.
  9. About 10 to 12 minutes before your goulash is done cooking, heat a pot of water to boiling, and cook your dried spaetzle. When the pasta is fully tenderized, drain it through a large sieve or a colander. If your goulash still has some cooking time left, return the spaetzle to the pot and place a lid on it to keep the pasta nice and warm.
  10. Serve your authentic, traditional German style goulash over your freshly cooked spaetzle.

Note: For many more delicious, traditional and authentic German recipes, go to our German Cuisine page!


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10 thoughts on “Traditional Authentic German Style Goulash

  1. Ooh, I just love this website for new recipes to try from all over the world! This German goulash looks so much different than what I’ve had in American restaurants, and I think it will taste better, too. One question – the spaetzle – is that a kind of noodle? The goulash I’ve had is always with elbow macaroni.

    • Hi Kim! Thanks for the compliment on our site, much appreciated. Yes, spaetzle is a pasta, it is German style egg noodles. If you can’t find spaetzle in your local grocery stores, you can purchase it at amazon.com, just click on the word in the recipe ingredients and you will be taken to the buy page. You can also substitute American wide egg noodles with very satisfactory results.

  2. My Mom is of German descent and I showed her this recipe. She gave it the thumbs up, so I am going to whip some up for my family – thanks!

  3. I love the layout of your page a vibrant background of fresh produce, content is great, the picture of the end product makes me wanna eat some now.This reciepe for goulash looks delicious i am definately giving it a try. I will be coming back to try other reciepes, thanks for sharing.

    • Audra, thanks for the visit and nice comment. For sure try this awesome goulash dish, and we look forward to seeing you back here often, to enjoy the over 1,000 ethnic food recipes from all over the world!

  4. Hi Marvin,

    I love your colorful website design with all the delicious foods. The German style goulash looks good. The ingredients and directions in this post look simple to follow. I ‘ve never attempted to cook goulash before. I may try this out. How many servings do you get with this recipe?

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m bookmarking this post.

    • Hi Rosa, thanks for the visit and comment. I hope you do try out this German style goulash. This recipe makes up a large batch, so, depending on how hungry you and your family and/or friends are, I would say anywhere from 8 to 12 large bowl servings.

  5. Wow! And here I though I knew how to make a good goulash, lol. Don’t get me wrong, my recipe is very good, but I have to say, this authentic traditional German style goulash looks even better. Thanks for this, Old Silly!

    • Margo, I can tell you are an excellent cook, so I am sure your goulash recipe is really good. But yeah, try this authentic German version, and see how it compares, okay?

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